The subject invention relates to the field of document generation systems, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for utilizing public interaction for dynamically varying document content where the document is publicly displayed for concurrent adjustment by the interactants. The invention is particularly applicable to a large screen display of a narrative document in a public setting wherein the document content, e.g., a storybook of modular image elements, or its prospective sequence is adjusted based upon public communication of a signal by a signaling device made in response to the display. A public setting refers to a physical setting where multiple people can share a physical as distinct from merely sharing a virtual or "cyberspace" presence. Without limitation, examples of public settings include a street, a plaza, a shopping mall, an arena, a theater, a convention or exposition hall, a store front, a club, bar or restaurant, an amusement park or a ride or attraction therein, or a shared space in a work place or school building, such as an auditorium, gymnasium, cafeteria, atrium, lobby, corridor or conference room. However, the subject invention is applicable to any environment or system which provides generation of a document in a physical setting that presents an opportunity for communication of a plurality of reactions to the viewing of the document.
Interactive computer games are usually played by single users in a private setting. They require that the user be equipped with a personal computer and a CD-ROM. Although there are known instances of multi-user shared computer experiences, these are not publicly viewed. Typically, each player sits in the privacy of his or her own home, and the interaction with other players is entirely virtual. Special equipment (a PC, software, maybe a pair of virtual reality goggles or a data glove) is also required. Some specific examples are multi-user games, Dan's Apartment (a public access television show) and multi-user dungeons, such as LambdaMOO.
Arcade video games are also known where two players play against each other while spectators may crowd around and watch. Special equipment (the arcade machine) is required. There is a sharp demarcation between the players, who are fully engaged with the game and who interact physically with the arcade machine, and the spectators, who do not. There are no casual interactions with the game, and no one who is both a spectator and a participant.
Some systems, such as Lorna (an interactive laser art disk) have been devised for the private direction of a narrative story through a number of alternative paths and endings, as implemented in the interactive disk. Such a system lacks the important aspect of being publicly displayed and suitable for public interaction with the story.
Current personal computer systems allow multi-user interaction with commonly displayed visual images in such systems as on-line chat rooms or multi-player interactive games. Although the multi-user participation results in a document having varying content as a result of the participation, the document itself is not interactive, it has no internal "story" time frame, and there are no narrative forms wherein the sequential portions of the documents themselves are intended to communicate the story. There is typically no shared participation of users in a common public physical space. The sharing, such as it is, is virtual, not physical.
No known systems provide the rich, exciting experience of interaction among many spectator-participants in a public place to effectively coauthor a fictional or other narrative document, viewable by all of the spectator-participants, to evolve the narrative both in a real time and in its own internal "story" time, wherein the narrative is communicated by the resulting sequence evolution as a direct result of the public interaction.
Indeed, there are only a few known instances of public interactive documents and these have notable limitations. Interactive films have a large granularity. There are only one or two branch points and, at most, a few possible branches. For example, in a 90 minute film, the audience gets to pick one of four 15-minute endings. Cinematrix comprises a "ping-pong paddle" system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. , , . Here the spectator-participants (or, "interactants") all must be equipped with special hardware, in this case a special red-green ping-pong paddle.